


How We Met

by orphan_account



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-18 01:11:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3550523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity liked to go on morning strolls with her dog, Barney. This was the day a dog dragged her to a man in the most awkward way she never could have imagined.</p><p>Alternative title: How I Met Your Barney. Heheh. ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	How We Met

**Hello, readers! I got the idea of this story from this sappy first-meet story I read from somewhere I cannot remember anymore. So, yes. You can expect this to be sappy. What can I do? I'm a fluff writer.**

**Hope you enjoy it! :D**

 

* * *

 

 

Felicity scrolled and scrolled through her phone as she walked along with her dog, Barney. It was a Sunday --her only free day this week -- and she decided to take the seven-month-old Golden Retriever out for a stroll. His leash was tied to her waist so she could have one of her hands grasping her phone while the other holding a cup of coffee to her mouth. She paused for a moment and gulped, looking ahead to absorb the nice view of the Starling City Park.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, if you asked her, one of those times the name Sunday made sense. There was that non-burning glow of the sun on her face and the wind gave a pleasant little chill, the combination making her look up with closed eyes and let her skin drink up the vitamin D and sigh in relaxation. A little equilibrium, she thought. She could settle for that. No, scratch that. She needed this on a daily basis.

Her phone beeped just as she was exhaling.

"Gotcha," she mumbled, her entire focus shifted onto her cell. She had been trying to hack through a Wi-Fi signal so she could access her e-mail because she had promised her mother that she'd send her pictures of her newly-bought dog. "Aren't you just tired of blonds," Donna joked over the phone two days ago.

All of a sudden, Barney came to a halt, turning to the opposite direction and sticking his nose to the ground. Felicity nearly stumbled at the unexpected tug of his leash.

"Stay," she reprimanded, steeling herself so she wouldn't turn around, but the dog went on. Sliding her phone back into her pocket, she yanked on his leash. "Barney!"

With another sudden pull, she was whirled around, dropping her coffee cup in the process. She was busy cursing the dog when she realized there was a man standing right in front of her.

She looked up at him in slow motion, and saw that his eyes were fixed on Barney, one eyebrow arched up in curiosity.

And then Felicity couldn't look away. The stranger was first-rate gorgeous. The sunlight made his hair shine this honey-golden glow and his eyes a bright sea of blue. There was the stubble on his jaw that reached down under his chin just before his neck, and it had Felicity wondering what it must feel like against her fingertips. Okay, he  _was_ a stranger, and Felicity wasn't like those who would drool over gorgeous men. She knew how to keep it cool... or at least how to not gawk and, well, drool. But she appreciated the view just the same.

"What's up with your dog?" he asked, snapping her right out of her reverie.

Her eyes darted from him to Barney, only to find the dog sniffing on the stranger's crotch. _Dear Google_. She quickly tugged Barney to her, mentally practicing an apology as she felt her cheeks burn. Her brain and her mouth never really coordinated well, and the fact that her dog was running his nose over this attractive man's groin was not the least bit helpful.  _Just one 'I'm sorry' and turn around before you mouth screws things up,_ she thought repeatedly.  _Apologize and then run for your life.... At least not literally. That would be weird_.  
  
But, despite all of that, she blurted out:

"Barney probably thinks you smell good."

She glanced up at him, and saw an amused grin slowly stretching across his face.

It took her one more second before she realized what she had said. Slapping a hand to her forehead, she groaned, feeling the heat flood her ears.

She pulled Barney with all her might and reeled the both of them away as she turned around, wanting nothing more than to get home and save what felt like the littlest of dignity she had left. Just her luck, of course, Barney wouldn't budge, so she ducked and lifted the dog in her arms.

She was soaking with sweat when they reached her doorstep, and there was a stiffness in her arms and her back from walking at least two hundred meters carrying an adult-size dog.

"You," she panted, her arms on her knees as she caught her breath. "are one evil trouble-maker," she muttered, holding a finger in front of Barney's face. The dog only wagged his tail.

\---

She walked through the cereals section of the grocery aisle, her fingers absent-mindedly running through the products as she searched for the right brand. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even notice she was reaching the end of the shelves. Her hand landed eventually on a chest of a human being. One broad, hard-muscled chest.

Her jaw dropped when she saw who it was. At some point during those two, quick seconds they stared at each other, her heart went racing.

"Hi," he greeted, looking as surprised as she was.

She pulled her hand back immediately and settled it on the cart instead. She forced a smile. "Hi." She fidgeted as she stood, mentally debating if she should carry on with her shopping.

"You were that girl last week-- Starling Park."

Heat filled her ears and she tried to tamp down her profuse blushing. She didn't need any more addition to her pile of embarrassment. He remembered.

But then again, how forgettable could it have been? It wasn't everyday she got dragged by her dog to a man. A very, very handsome man for that matter. And she'd reckoned it wasn't everyday a man gets sniffed on the crotch by a dog.

"Yes." She grinned awkwardly. "That was me."

There was a long pause, and then they both spoke at the same time.

"I know--"

"I'm sorry about--"

"Before you say anything.... It was my dog's fault and it was a very awkward exchange and my ever-so-trusty mouth made it even more awkward that it already was. I'm not really good at filtering what comes out of it." She flinched. "Words. As in words and not, you know, vomit because, really," She laughed nervously. "who does the trouble of filtering their own vomit and I think by now you know exactly what I've been meaning to say and I'm gonna stop talking in 3...2...1." She swallowed loudly, internally cursing herself.

Amusement filled his face. "I was just going to say that I know your dog's name... But I didn't get the chance to hear yours."

Caught off-guard, she paused. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know my dog's name?"

"Barney, am I correct?"

"Barnabus," she said, starting to ease up. "That's his real name."

He gave her a slow nod, cuing her to go on.

She smiled. "I'm Felicity."

"Felicity," he repeated. The sound of his voice and the way she said her name sent a little flutter in her stomach. "I'm Oliver."

"Nice to meet you." She looked down and gestured with her hands. "I have to.... He's waiting for me."

His face dropped. " _Oh_." He shook his head, looking down apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a boyfriend--"

"My dog," she interrupted quickly, realizing he was coming up with the wrong conclusion. "Barney. He's waiting for me and I have to feed him by noon." She paused, but he didn't speak. "You could come. If you wanna. I can cook."

His silence made her laugh sheepishly. "That is, of course, if getting invited over by some stranger you ran into for the second time isn't too weird for you."

Relief washed over his face. He smiled. God help her, he was beautiful. "Actually, I would love that. That'd be great."

Grinning, he walked to her side, taking the cart from her hands. She was surprised she didn't flinch when one of his hands covered hers in the process.

"Let me," he offered.

"Sure." She chuckled. _Quite the gentleman, I see_ , she thought as she took one step away.

He asked, "So, what are you shopping for?"

"I'm reloading my fridge," she said. "Also, I'm looking for some dog soaps, Barney kinda overdid it yesterday. I cleaned up my apartment and he just dove into the pile of dust." She laughed a little at the memory. "He was sneezing for like, an hour." Her smile faded. "I was actually worried about him and took him to the vet. But the doc said he's good." Sighing, she shook her head lightly. "That dog's _really_ gonna give me man-biceps."

Oliver laughed, keeping up with Felicity's small steps as they strolled on.

\---

The day went well. A little too close to perfect if she was being honest.

Oliver almost never heard the end of it after he had paid for the groceries, even when he told her she could count it as his "way of paying for lunch." Felicity only waved him off and swore to him he would be punished, which led to her realizing out loud how wrong that sounded.  
  
He watched her as she cooked, sitting quietly on the kitchen stool as he listened to her stories and countless ramblings. She made him promise that he would do the dishes as a payment for his crime, to which he obliged, and that was her turn to watch him from the counter where she sat. And even though everything they talked about was random, she saw and heard how genuine his smiles and laughs were. He stayed even after lunch, helping Felicity out with Barney's bath as they exchanged questions of favorites.

Now he was at her doorstep, and she'd been trying to hide from her eyes the sinking feeling she had in her chest as he bid her goodbye.

She went up her toes and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Bye, Oliver. This was fun."

He beamed. "Bye, Felicity."

He turned to leave when she suddenly realized she didn't even know where he lived or at least his last name.

"Hey, Oliver?" she called out.

"Yeah?" He walked back to her.

"I don't even know your full name."

He gave her a questioning look, the corners of his mouth turned up.

"I was thinking of recommending you to housekeeping agencies," she joked, leaning over at him. "Your dish-washing skills? Real wowable."

He just chuckled. Before she could speak, he had his hand on her cheek and his lips against hers.

And then _boom_ , her spirits went afloat. But he pulled away before she could even return the kiss. Still, it got her riding on cloud nine. His lips were softer than she'd imagined them to be.

"I'll see you at work," he said with a coy grin before turning around, for a brief moment making Felicity wonder what exactly he meant. Did he mention his workplace earlier? Did he work at Queen Consolidated, too? Too lovebug-infested to think, she made her way back into her apartment in a daze.

Minutes later, she would see the puzzle pieces fall into their rightful places, meaning she would realize why he looked so oddly familiar, and she would mutter every curse word she knew as it dawned onto her that she just made her boss wash her dishes.


End file.
